1. Penalties can be called at any time during the playing of a game. This constitutes the 60 minutes of regulation play, the overtime, penalty-shot shootout, stoppages in play, and the departure of the teams from the ice to the dressing rooms.

2. An on-ice official must witness first-hand any infraction if a penalty is to be assessed and incorporated into the official game sheet. This includes events before, during, and after the playing of the game.

3. "Before" the game constitutes the minutes prior to the opening faceoff when the on-ice officials and players are on the ice but game action has yet to begin.

4. Any violations of the rules committed during the pre-game skate or underneath the stands cannot be punished by the assessment of penalties during the game because the on-ice officials do not participate in events at this time. Instead, these violations will be noted by the standby referee and dealt with, if necessary, by the proper authorities.

5. No player or team official is allowed to enter the dressing room of the on-ice officials during the course of or immediately prior to or following the game. Any violation of this rule will be reported to the proper authorities.

1. In the two-referee system, no player can be penalized by both referees for the same infraction, but the same player can be penalized by both referees for two distinct infractions.

2. Upon being penalized, a skater must proceed directly to the penalty box or dressing room unless instructed otherwise by an on-ice official. Failure to do so will result in an additional bench-minor penalty.

3. If one team is assessed more than one penalty of the same duration which affects on-ice manpower, the captain must inform the referee of the order the penalties are to be served in case further penalties result in one penalized skater being allowed to leave the penalty box before others.

4. A skater must go to his dressing room if he is assessed a misconduct penalty in the third period which would prevent him from participating in the overtime and penalty-shot shootout.

5. If a team being penalized is in possession of the puck, game action will be stopped immediately. If the opposing team is in possession of the puck, game action will continue until the penalized team gains control of the puck.

1. Penalties are said to have expired at the exact time of the penalty on the scoreclock plus the length of the penalty. For instance, if a minor penalty is called at 4:58, it expires at 2:58. If a major penalty is assessed at 13:05, it expires at 8:05, whether or not the skater steps onto the ice at that exact second. For coincident minor penalties and misconduct penalties, the skater is allowed to return to the ice only at the first whistle after the penalty time has expired.

2. Only penalties displayed on the scoreclock allow a team to gain extra skaters during game action when they expire. Penalties not displayed on the scoreclock include coincident minors or majors, misconducts, game misconducts, and coincident match penalties.

3. Penalties which must be displayed on the scoreclock include minors, double minors, majors, and match.

4. Penalties with a delayed start time will be displayed on the scoreclock only when their time has started.

5. In the case of misconduct penalties, the skater is allowed to return to the ice only after the first whistle after the expiration of his penalty.

6. In the case of more than one penalty to a team, skaters are allowed to return to the ice only when their own penalty has expired. A skater who comes onto the ice after a teammate’s penalty has expired – not his own – will be subject to further penalty.

1. A team is short-handed by virtue of having fewer skaters on the ice than its opponent as a result of one or more penalties during game action.

2. If the opposition scores a goal while a team is short-handed, the penalized skater can return to the ice immediately if the penalty being served is a minor or bench-minor penalty which makes the team short-handed.

1. A minor penalty constitutes two minutes of playing time and must be served in full by the penalized skater. No substitution of this skater is allowed in on-ice manpower. If the opposition scores during the ensuing power play, the first minor penalty is considered over and the skater can leave the penalty bo10.

2. If a team scores a goal on a penalty shot during a power play, the penalized skater is not allowed to return to the ice.

1. A major penalty constitutes five minutes of playing time and carries with it an automatic game-misconduct penalty. No substitution of this player is allowed in on-ice manpower for the five minutes. The penalized player must go to the dressing room, and a teammate designated by the coach through the captain must serve the penalty in full, regardless of how many goals the opposition scores. Once the five minutes has expired, the team may replace the skater for the game misconduct portion of the penalty. A review of the penalty by the proper authorities is automatically conducted after the game.

1. When a skater is assessed a minor and major penalty (and automatic game-misconduct penalty) at the same time, the major penalty is served first after which the minor penalty begins. The penalized player must go to the dressing room, and one skater designated by the coach through the captain must serve the assessed penalties.

2. When a minor and major penalty are imposed at the same time on two players of the same team while the team is already short- handed, the minor penalty is the first to be served, and the start of the major penalty will not begin until the first of all penalties has expired. The penalized player with the major penalty must go to the dressing room, and one skater designated by the coach through the captain must serve the assessed penalties.

1. A misconduct penalty constitutes ten minutes of playing time, but immediate substitution in on-ice manpower is allowed. The skater must serve his misconduct in full unless he is injured, in which case a teammate designated by the coach through the captain must sit in the penalty box in his place. The skater is not allowed to leave the penalty box until the first whistle after ten minutes of playing time has elapsed.

2. If a player is assessed a second misconduct any time during a game, it will become an automatic game-misconduct penalty instead. He must go to the dressing room but may be substituted immediately on ice, and no teammate has to serve his penalty.

3. If a goaltender is assessed a misconduct penalty, it must be served by a skater on the ice at the time of the whistle to stop play and who is designated by the coach through the captain.

1. When a skater is assessed a minor and misconduct penalty at the same time, the penalized team must immediately put an additional skater in the penalty box to serve the minor penalty. No substitution of this skater is allowed in on-ice manpower. At the expiration of the minor penalty, that additional skater may leave the penalty box but the skater who committed the infractions must remain in the penalty box to serve the misconduct penalty. Even though a teammate serves the minor penalty, the misconduct penalty does not begin until the expiration of the lesser penalty.

1. A game-misconduct penalty requires the penalized player or team official to go to the dressing room, but immediate substitution on ice is allowed.

2. A player who receives two game-misconduct penalties in the same game or different games of a tournament or event is automatically suspended for one additional game.

1. A match penalty results in the immediate expulsion of the player or team official from the game and a five-minute penalty served by a teammate designated by the coach through the captain. No substitution of this skater is allowed in on-ice manpower until after the expiration of the five minutes.

2. A match penalty carries with it an automatic (and minimum) one-game suspension.

Minor/Bench-minor penalty = 2 minutes on scoreclock (2 PIMs)

Major penalty = 5 minutes on scoreclock + automatic game misconduct, time not on scoreclock (25 PIMs)

Minor + Major penalty = 5 minutes on scoreclock, then 2 minutes on scoreclock + automatic game misconduct, time not on scoreclock (27 PIMs)

Misconduct penalty = 10 minutes, time not on scoreclock (10 PIMs)

Minor + Misconduct penalty = 2 minutes on scoreclock + 10 minutes, time not on scoreclock (12 PIMs)

Minor + Game Misconduct penalty = 2 minutes on scoreclock + balance of the game, time not on scoreclock (22 PIMs)

Game Misconduct penalty = balance of the game, time not on scoreclock (20 PIMs)

Match penalty = 5 minutes on scoreclock + balance of the game, time not on scoreclock (25 PIMs) + automatic one-game suspension

1. Only penalties that are displayed on the scoreclock affect on-ice manpower (except penalties which have a delayed start time).

2. For a penalized skater to return to the game as a result of an opponent’s goal, his team must have been short-handed by a minor or bench-minor penalty at the time of the goal (not counting a delayed penalty). In the case where more than one skater is penalized, the first minor or bench-minor penalty will terminate (unless it were a coincident minor or bench-minor penalty with an opposing skater, in which case the next minor or bench-minor penalty will be cancelled).

3. If there is a delayed-penalty call for a minor or bench-minor penalty against a team already short-handed by reason of a major or match penalty, and the opposition scores before play is stopped to assess the new penalty, that signalled penalty will be cancelled because of the goal.

4. If a delayed penalty is about to be called against a player which will result in a minor penalty, major and automatic game-misconduct penalty, or match penalty, but the opposing team scores during the delayed penalty, the minor penalty will be cancelled but the major and game misconduct or match penalty will still be assessed. The skater must go to the dressing room while a teammate designated by the coach through the captain serves the major or match penalty.

5. If a team is assessed two or more penalties of the same duration at the same stoppage of play, the captain of that team must notify the referee before the start of game action which skater will be first out of the penalty box (either after the scoring of a power-play goal by the opposition or at the expiration of the penalties when the skaters leave the penalty box). The referee will inform the scorekeeper accordingly.

Game situation 1: Team A is assessed a bench-minor penalty for too many men. At the same stoppage of play, Team A requests a stick measurement of a Team B player. If the stick is found to be legal and a second bench-minor penalty to Team A is assessed, one skater from Team A will serve both minor penalties (2 + 2 minutes).

Game situation 2: A5 is assessed a delayed minor penalty for hooking. If Team A is assessed an additional bench-minor penalty at the same stoppage of play, A5 will serve only his minor penalty, and Team A will designate another skater to serve the bench minor.

Game situation 3: A delayed penalty is signalled against a team already short-handed by reason of one or more minor or bench-minor penalties, and the signalled penalty would result in the awarding of a penalty shot. If the non-offending team scores a goal before the referee can stop play to award the penalty shot, the signalled penalty (that would have resulted in a penalty shot) will be assessed as a minor (double minor, major, or match) penalty, and the first of the minor penalties already being served will be terminated.

Game situation 4: Team A is short-handed because of a minor penalty, and the referee signals a delayed major penalty against that team. If Team B scores a goal before the stoppage of play the first minor penalty being served will be terminated, but the referee will still assess the major and automatic game-misconduct penalty.

Game situation 5: If a player is assessed a major and automatic game-misconduct penalty and then, for another incident either before or after the whistle, a match penalty, the team is required to put one skater in the penalty box and the team will play short-handed for the entire ten minutes.

Game situation 6: If a team official is assessed a match penalty, the remaining team staff must designate, through the captain, a skater to serve the five-minute penalty in the penalty bo10.

1. When an equal number of minor, major, or match penalties of the same duration are assessed to both teams at the same stoppage of play, the penalties are considered coincident.

2. When penalties are assessed to both teams at the same stoppage of play, the referee will cancel as many penalties of equal duration (minor, bench minor, double minor, major and automatic game misconduct, match) to each team as possible to avoid putting substitutes in the penalty box and to return as many skaters to the ice as possible.

3. However, if teams are playing 5-on-5 and only one minor or bench- minor penalty is assessed to each team, teams will play 4-on-4. The two skaters must go to the penalty box without substitution, and they can return to the ice at the expiry of the penalties.

4. If one or both penalized players in Rule 112-3 are assessed a misconduct penalty in addition to a minor penalty, teams will play 4-on-4 and an additional skater must go to the penalty box to serve the minor penalty while the penalized skater will serve the entire 12 minutes. The skater serving the minor penalty can return to the ice at the expiry of that penalty.

5. When penalties in Rule 112-1 are assessed and one team is short- handed, immediate substitution is allowed for an equal number of coincident penalties of equal duration to each team and will not have a bearing on delayed start time of penalties (see Rule 113).

6. If teams are playing with manpower that is not 5-on-5, there is no further reduction of manpower on ice as a result of penalties of equal duration and number which can cancel each other.

7. If multiple penalties are assessed to both teams, equal numbers of minor, major (and automatic game misconduct), and match penalties will be cancelled as per rules for coincident penalties. Any differential in penalty times will be displayed on the scoreclock, and skaters will serve the time accordingly. They will not be allowed to return until the first stoppage in play after the expiration of their penalties.

8. Players who receive major (and automatic game misconduct) or match penalties which are coincident penalties must go to their dressing room but no teammate is required in the penalty box unless one of the penalties appears on the score-clock.

9. Where goaltenders are involved, see Rules 207-2 and 207-4.

10. In the application of coincident penalties, minor and bench-minor penalties are considered the same.

1. No team can have fewer than three skaters on ice at any time during game action.

2. Skaters must always return to the ice in the order of the expiry of their own penalties.

3. If a third or subsequent player of any team is assessed a penalty during regulation time which requires him to go to the penalty box, and two teammates are already serving penalties, the penalty time of the third player or any subsequent players will not start until the penalty time of one of the first two skaters has expired. The third or subsequent skaters must still enter the penalty box as soon as their penalties have been assessed, but they can be replaced on the ice by a substitute until their penalty time begins.

4. Once the first penalty of three or more skaters has elapsed, the skater cannot return to the ice until the first whistle after the expiration of his penalty.

1. For most penalties, a player from the offending team must be in control of the puck for game action to be stopped and the penalties assessed.

2. A touch of the puck or glancing contact between stick and puck does not constitute control unless that contact results in a goal for the team being penalized.

3. If the offending team is not in control of the puck, the referee will raise his arm signifying his intention to call a penalty, but he will not stop game action until:

Game situation 1: A delayed penalty is signalled on Team A, and a player from Team B shoots the puck on goal. If the goaltender stops the shot, gains control of the puck, and deliberately directs the puck to a teammate, the referee will stop game action.

Game situation 2: A delayed penalty is signalled on a player from Team A, and Team B has substituted its goaltender in favour of an extra skater. While skating in front of his net with the puck, a skater from Team B is stick-checked by a skater from Team A. If the puck goes in the open goal net, the goal will not count.

Game situation 3: A delayed penalty is signalled on a player from Team A, and Team B has substituted its goaltender in favour of an extra skater. A skater from Team B has possession of the puck, and as he passes the puck to a teammate, the puck deflects off a Team A skater. If the puck goes into the open goal net of Team B, the goal will not count and the penalty will be assessed.

Game situation 4: A delayed penalty is signalled to Team A, and Team B has substituted its goaltender for an extra skater. A skater from Team B shoots the puck, which hits a Team A skater. If the puck deflects back down the ice and into the open goal net of Team B, the goal will not count and the delayed penalty will be assessed.

Game situation 5: A delayed penalty is signalled against A6 and a penalty shot will be awarded to Team B as a result of the infraction. Before the play is stopped, A6 commits another infraction calling for a minor penalty. If Team B scores a goal before the play is stopped, the penalty shot is washed out, but the referee will assess the minor penalty to A6. If Team B does not score before the play is stopped, the referee will award a penalty shot to Team B and assess the minor penalty to A6. A6 must serve the penalty regardless of the result of the penalty shot.

Game situation 6: A delayed penalty is signalled on Team A. Team B, in possession of the puck, pulls its goaltender for an extra skater. The skater of Team B, in possession of the puck in his defending zone, tries to make a pass to his teammate, but the puck heads towards his team’s empty goal net. His teammate dives in an attempt to prevent the puck from entering the empty goal net, but he misses the puck. If his momentum carries him into the goal frame, causing the goal net to come completely off its pegs, a goal will be awarded and the penalty assessed to Team A.

Game situation 7: A delayed penalty is signalled on Team A. Team B, in possession of the puck, pulls the goaltender for an extra skater. The skater of Team B, in possession of the puck in his defending zone, tries to make a pass to his teammate, but the puck heads towards his team’s empty goal net. His teammate dives and successfully prevents the puck from entering the empty goal net. His momentum carries him into the goal frame, causing the net to come completely off its pegs. If the referee ruled that the skater accidentally (very unlikely) displaced the goal net after preventing the puck from entering the open net, no penalty is assessed to Team B. If, however, the referee determines that the skater purposefully dislodged the goal net to prevent a goal, the referee will award a goal to Team A and assess the penalty to Team A.

1. Regardless of the length of the overtime or rules regarding manpower in overtime, penalties from the end of regulation time or assessed prior to the start of the overtime period will carry over.